Best blogs of February

Our Best Blogs of February includes stories on the lack of IT talent, how to get more done in less time and the battle emerging on the overhaul of the H1B visa program. That’s a lot of great stuff to read while waiting for your slow cooker to work its culinary magic!

Tech companies still dogged by talent shortfall

A recent national poll of greater than 1,000 hiring personnel and recruiters by the job site Indeed revealed tech companies are finding it harder than ever to find talent, and the problem is actually hurting business.

The survey found that 86 percent of respondents said it is hard to locate and hire technical talent. Three-fourths of hiring managers said the time it takes to hire for IT roles has risen in the past three years. Slightly more than half of respondents said they had hired individuals who didn’t meet the specified job requirements out of desperation.

Work less, get more done

Research has shown that worker productivity drops off significantly each hour after a person hits 50 hours of work in one week. The drop off in productivity is so sharp, there’s almost no point to working more than 55 hours in a week.

This shows significant diminishing returns on working nights and weekends while still putting in a 40-hour workweek.

Therefore, instead of grinding it out day and night, keep your personal time as sacred as possible and use it to refresh and recharge. Your weekend should be spent disconnecting from devices, exercising, pursuing a hobby, socializing and going on mini adventures. You should also be putting a strict limit on household chores, which have a way of taking over your weekend.

The race is on to Reform the H1B process..who will win?

Legislation recently introduced into the new Congress aims to give the “best and brightest” foreign students educated in the United States top priority for H1B visas.

Congress has been deliberating over proposals to modify the popular H1B visa program for years. The visas are highly sought after, with three times more applications filed in 2016 than the yearly limit of 85,000. However, the program has also been extremely controversial.

At present, the visas are given out via a lottery system. However, the new bill would get rid of the lottery system and have Citizenship and Immigration Services set up a “preference system,” giving priority to foreign students educated in the US. Those with an advanced degree, making a high wage, or with valuable skills would be given top billing.

Critics have argued that some companies exploit the H1B system by hiring foreign employees and paying less than what they would pay American citizens.

President Donald Trump has said he hopes to stamp out misuse of the program, but it’s uncertain how he might achieve this.